Manchester United put in an embarrassingly awful second half display against City in a 4-1 defeat.
The team lost more ground in the battle to earn a Champions League place for next season, with a top four place looking like more of an uphill battle.
That’s the bigger picture view. The main narrative to come out of the game is just how badly United played, and capitulated against City.
United were passed off the pitch by City and looked demoralised long before the final whistle blew.
Club captain Harry Maguire spoke after the game and admitted the defeat had hurt the United players.
Maguire told the club website: “I know its going to be a disappointing couple of days it always is when you lose one of these big emotional games, it always is.
“The lads are devastated in there. We’ll obviously analyse the game, look at areas we can improve on.
“When we come to Tottenham we have got to make sure we are ready to give a performance and get a result that we need.”
United host Tottenham next Saturday in a match which could spell the end of the top four hopes for whichever team loses.
Maguire’s words count for little, but it is some crumb of comfort to hear the players are hurting. A lot of the criticism has been this season that the players do not care, or at least their performances do not show that they do.
United’s campaign is fast becoming a write-off, with fans losing interest. The players need to do something to generate it.
A win over Tottenham would be a good way to bounce back next week, followed by a Champions League victory against Atletico Madrid. Two losses, and the campaign will be over.
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